In
the most recent proof that the ratings system is an utter failure, Damages,
originally shown on the FX cable network, was “edited” in order to be acceptable
to air on the MyNetworkTV broadcast network. According to a Variety.com
article, “the Damages episodes will be edited to reflect a TV-14 rating,
which means some of the language will be trimmed, as well as some sexual
content, from the original FX airing.” The article also quoted FX Network
President John Landgraf as saying, “It’s not hard to cut TV-14 versions,”
meaning that the TV-MA show is easily edited to be suitable for a TV-14 rating.

Comparing the FX premiere episode with the MyNetworkTV premiere episode, the
only discernable difference is that all instances of the “s-word” and “g-ddamn”
were cut, as well as a few (but not all) instances of the word “bitch.” Left
uncut were the words “ass,” “hell,” “damn,” and “bitch,” which are not uncommon
for TV-14 broadcast shows.

In
the premiere episode of Damages, there is a scene in which the main
character Ellen and her fiancée Noah are clearly having sex. The viewer
can see Ellen drag her hands down Noah’s bare back, which is glistening with
sweat. They passionately kiss, Ellen is shown on top of her fiancée
smiling while Noah is on the bottom, smiling up at her.

The
FX version of this scene is 55 seconds long, while the MyNetworkTV version is 30
seconds long – so, to be fair, the executives did “edit” the scene. But are
network executives making the argument that if a sex scene on broadcast is
shorter than on cable that somehow makes it appropriate content for a
14-year-old? What is of real concern is that the scene was edited for length,
not for content.

It
is not only the “edited” sex scene in Damages that is troublesome. There
is also the violence shown in both versions. There was no discernable
difference between the TV-MA SL version and the TV-14 SLV version. Noah’s
sister, Katie, who has been caught up in a corporate scandal, is threatened by
the executives involved in the scandal to keep quiet. Katie is shown in her
bathroom picking up her dog’s bowl of water and she slips, falls and hits her
head on the ground. She looks at her hand, which is covered in blood -- but not
her blood. Katie turns and looks under her bathtub to see a trail of blood
leading to the body of her dead dog.

In
another scene, detectives have found Noah’s dead body in a bathtub. In both
episodes, the scene is the same: a shot of Noah’s bloody leg hanging out of the
tub; then a shot of the detective’s faces; a shot of Noah’s blood soaked shirt
and chest; then a shot of the detective’s faces; and finally a shot of Noah’s
bloody face with his eyes open; then a shot of the detective’s faces. Again,
there is no noticeable difference between the two episodes.

According to the Variety.com article, the only two things that the TV-MA
show was edited for was language and sexual content. The language was indeed
edited, but the sexual content was only edited for length. Apparently, network
executives do not believe that a TV-MA show’s violent content needs to be edited
at all to get a TV-14 SLV rating. Clearly, un-edited violence from a TV-MA SL
program being allowed in a TV-14 show suggests that there is no adequate way to
warn parents of graphic content.

If
you agree that this program was inadequately rated, please write to the TV
ratings advisory board at
tvomb@usa.net and let them know that the TV
ratings once again failed to adequately warn parents about inappropriate
content.

Parents Television Council,
www.parentstv.org, PTC,
Clean Up TV Now, Because our children are watching, The
nation's most influential advocacy organization, Protecting
children against sex, violence and profanity in
entertainment, Parents Television Council Seal of Approval,
and Family Guide to Prime Time Television
are trademarks of the Parents Television Council.